Shoe Rack Attachment

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a shaped notch for supporting a shoe. The shaped notch has a “U” shape and a sufficient width and depth for retaining a toe strap of the shoe within the shaped notch, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree within the shaped notch and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe about the shaped notch. Left and right vertical extensions are joined to the shaped notch with left and right arcs for elevating the shaped notch. The left and right vertical extensions have sufficient lengths for enabling the shoe to hang freely from the shaped notch without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe. Each of the left and right arcs is rounded and generally forms an arc of 180 degrees. The left and right arcs and the shaped notch generally form a lazy “M” shape.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Utility patent application claims priority benefit of the U.S. provisional application for patent Ser. No. 61/109,451 filed on Jan. 26, 2009 under 35 U.S.C. 119(e). The contents of this related provisional application are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER LISTING APPENDIX

Not applicable.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to shoe storage devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a shoe rack attachment for holding all types of shoes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shoes are often awkward to store because of their irregular shapes and sizes. There are many different types of shoe storage systems currently available. The present embodiment deals with shoe racks. These shoe racks are often hung on a closet door or sometimes a wall or may be free standing. These shoe racks are typically made of wire and comprise multiple shoe holder attachments. The typical standard shoe holder on a standard shoe rack is a formed, 14-gauge wire generally rectangular in shape, approximately 2 inches wide and 5 and ½ inches tall. Some currently known shoe holder attachments are tapered at the top or may comprise a rounded top. These shoe holders do not effectively hold some types of shoes such as, but not limited to, flip-flops, sandals and shoes with shoetrees inserted. It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide shoe holder attachments for shoe racks that effectively hold shoe types that are difficult to store on typical shoe holder attachments. Currently known shoe racks cannot accommodate all shoes, for example, without limitation, sandals, flats, high heels, flip-flops and shoetrees, with one attachment style. For example, typical rack attachments only hold standard shoes, and there are rack attachments that can hold flip-flops; however these rack attachments do not hold other types of shoes.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved techniques for providing a shoe rack that can accommodate flip-flops, sandals and shoes with shoetrees inserted, while still accommodating standard shoes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is diagrammatic front view of an exemplary shoe rack attachment for holding all types of shoes, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an exemplary shoe rack incorporating attachments for holding different types of shoes, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the forgoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, a shoe rack attachment is presented.

In one embodiment an apparatus includes means for supporting a shoe where the supporting means is suitable for retaining a toe strap of a shoe, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree, inserted in the shoe, and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe and means joined to the supporting means for elevating the supporting means and for enabling the shoe to hang freely without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe.

In another embodiment an apparatus includes a shaped notch for supporting a shoe. The shaped notch has a sufficient width and depth for retaining a toe strap of the shoe within the shaped notch, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree, inserted in the shoe, within the shaped notch and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe about the shaped notch. Left and right vertical extensions are joined to the shaped notch for elevating the shaped notch. The left and right vertical extensions have sufficient lengths for enabling the shoe to hang freely from the shaped notch without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe.

In another embodiment an apparatus includes a shaped notch for supporting a shoe. The shaped notch has a “U” shape and a sufficient width and depth for retaining a toe strap of the shoe within the shaped notch, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree, inserted in the shoe, within the shaped notch and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe about the shaped notch. Left and right vertical extensions are joined to the shaped notch for elevating the shaped notch. The left and right vertical extensions have sufficient lengths for enabling the shoe to hang freely from the shaped notch without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe. Left and right arcs join the shaped notch to the left and right vertical extensions. Each of the left and right arcs are rounded and generally forms an arc of 180 degrees, wherein the left and right arcs and the shaped notch generally form a lazy “M” shape.

Other features, advantages, and object of the present invention will become more apparent and be more readily understood from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailed figures and description set forth herein.

Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

It is to be understood that any exact measurements/dimensions or particular construction materials indicated herein are solely provided as examples of suitable configurations and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Depending on the needs of the particular application, those skilled in the art will readily recognize, in light of the following teachings, a multiplicity of suitable alternative implementation details.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a wire shoe rack attachment with a “U” shape incorporated into the top portion thereby allowing the storage of not only standard shoes, but also the storage of flip-flops, sandals and shoes containing shoetrees. Preferred embodiments of the present invention may be used by anyone having a need to store or show shoes of all sizes shapes and styles and may be used practically anywhere these shoes need to be stored or shown such as, but not limited to, houses, apartments, shoe stores, hotels, gyms, schools, etc.

FIG. 1 is diagrammatic front view of an exemplary shoe rack attachment 101 for holding all types of shoes, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a “U” shaped notch 105 is incorporated into the top portion of a standard shoe attachment for a wire shoe rack, which typically measures 2 (two) inches in width and 5 (five) and ½ (one-half) inches in height. “U” shaped notch 105 is preferably 1 (one) inch in depth with a ¾-inch radius forming the bottom 180-degree arc of the “U”. However, in alternate embodiments the “U” shaped notch may be various different sizes. In the present embodiment, the upper portion of “U” shaped notch 105 is formed into attachment 101 by means of two 5/16-inch radius arcs 110 of 180 degrees, one on each side, making the top portion of attachment 101 look like a lazy “M” and centering “U” shaped notch 105 on attachment 101. In alternate embodiments, the attachment points may not be rounded into this lazy “M” shape. In the present embodiment, “U” shaped notch 105 is located in the top center of attachment 101 to form a place where a shoe tree or a toe strap can fit, allowing a shoe on a shoetree or a sandal with a toe strap to hang freely instead of sliding completely down the attachment as in prior art shoe racks. A vertical support 115 extends downward from each arc 110 to give attachment 101 enough height to hold various different shoes. In the present embodiment, this height is preferably 5 (five) and ½ (one-half) inches; however, attachments of various different heights may be implemented in alternate embodiments.

In typical use of the present embodiment, “U” shaped notch 105 enables a shoe rack to hold shoes that previously could not be accommodated such as, but not limited to, flip-flops and sandals. The toe web of a flip-flop or sandal fits into “U” shaped notch 105, which holds the shoe upright and straight, not allowing the shoe to slide down attachment 101. “U” shaped notch 105 also enables shoes with a shoetree inserted into them to fit onto attachment 101. The shoetree wire, spring or bar that connects the back portion of the shoetree with the front portion of the shoetree fits into “U” shaped notch 105, allowing the shoe to hang freely and not be deformed by sliding sideways. Standard attachments cannot hold shoes with shoetrees inserted without deforming the upper portion of the shoe. The present embodiment can also hold standard shoes that do not have toe webs or shoetrees; these shoes fit onto upper arcs 110 of “U” shaped notch 105 as they would fit onto a standard shoe rack attachment and hang freely without being deformed.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an exemplary shoe rack 200 incorporating multiple attachments 201 for holding multiple types of shoes, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, shoe rack 200 comprises only attachments with “U” shaped notches. However, in alternate embodiments, shoe racks may be implemented with multiple types of attachments. Shoe rack 200 is shown holding different types of shoes to illustrate the versatility of attachments 201 including, but not limited to, flip-flops 210, sandals 215, shoes containing shoetrees 220, heels 225, and flats 230.

Alternate embodiments of the present invention may be implemented with notches of various different shapes for holding toe webs and shoetrees such as, but not limited to, a “V ” shape, a rectangular shape, etc. Some embodiments may have multiple notches on the top of the attachment for sandals with many straps. Furthermore, the foregoing embodiments have an open design, and alternate embodiments may be solid forms incorporating notches.

Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention, other equivalent or alternative methods of providing shoe rack attachments for holding multiple types of shoes according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention has been described above by way of illustration, and the specific embodiments disclosed are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. For example, the particular implementation of the shoe rack attachment may vary depending upon the particular type of construction material used. The shoe rack attachments described in the foregoing were directed to metal wire implementations; however, similar techniques are to provide shoe rack attachments with notches for holding different types of shoes that are made of various different materials such as, but not limited to, plastic, wood, etc. Non-wire implementations of the present invention are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

Claim elements and steps herein have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. As such, the numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims. 

1. An apparatus comprising: means for supporting a shoe where the supporting means is suitable for retaining a toe strap of a shoe, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree, inserted in the shoe, and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe; and means joined to the supporting means for elevating the supporting means and for enabling the shoe to hang freely without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for joining the supporting means to the elevating means.
 3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, further comprising means for supporting a plurality of supporting means joined to elevating means.
 4. An apparatus comprising: a shaped notch for supporting a shoe, the shaped notch having a sufficient width and depth for retaining a toe strap of the shoe within the shaped notch, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree, inserted in the shoe, within the shaped notch and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe about the shaped notch; and left and right vertical extensions joined to the shaped notch for elevating the shaped notch, where the left and right vertical extensions have sufficient lengths for enabling the shoe to hang freely from the shaped notch without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe.
 5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, further comprising left and right arcs for joining the shaped notch to the left and right vertical extensions.
 6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the left and right arcs and the shaped notch generally form an “M” shape.
 7. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the left and right arcs generally forms an arc of 180 degrees.
 8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the shaped notch generally has a “U” shape.
 9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the left and right arcs are rounded.
 10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein the left and right arcs and the shaped notch generally form a lazy “M” shape.
 11. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the shaped notch, left and right arcs and left and right vertical extensions are formed from wire.
 12. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, further comprising a rack for supporting a plurality of shaped notches joined to left and right vertical extensions.
 13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the rack supports the plurality of shaped notches joined to left and right vertical extensions in rows.
 14. An apparatus comprising: a shaped notch for supporting a shoe, the shaped notch having a “U” shape and a sufficient width and depth for retaining a toe strap of the shoe within the shaped notch, for retaining a connecting portion of a shoetree, inserted in the shoe, within the shaped notch and for retaining a toe portion of the shoe about the shaped notch; left and right vertical extensions joined to the shaped notch for elevating the shaped notch, where the left and right vertical extensions have sufficient lengths for enabling the shoe to hang freely from the shaped notch without deformation to an upper portion of the shoe; and left and right arcs for joining the shaped notch to the left and right vertical extensions, where each of the left and right arcs are rounded and generally forms an arc of 180 degrees, wherein the left and right arcs and the shaped notch generally form a lazy “M” shape.
 15. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein the shaped notch, left and right arcs and left and right vertical extensions are formed from wire.
 16. The apparatus as recited in claim 14, further comprising a rack for supporting a plurality of shaped notches joined to left and right vertical extensions.
 17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the rack supports the plurality of shaped notches joined to left and right vertical extensions in rows. 